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I often sneak in a half hour here, or an hour there while the kids are at piano lessons or before they wake up. Now that it's summer, I have them at home with me all day, but I can always write during their designated reading time. I'll sometimes take the kids to the park, bring my lap top and let them play while I write. It's not the most serene environment, but it's something.
Of course, there are those times when I'll sacrifice my much-needed beauty sleep for those long stretches of fast-typing, completely-in-the-zone, interruption-free writing.
And while I love having those great chunks of time, (I would never finish a book without them), I actually find I can make some pretty decent progress during those little snippets as well. Even if I have to stop right when I'm finally stepping into the character's head. Even if the scene is just beginning to unfold, revealing itself like a hidden mystery bursting into daylight. That's okay because I can muse on it while I go about my day.
When that happens, I'll type a quick summary of the scene, keep the emotions with me throughout a large part of the day, and, of course, take notes along the way of things I do not want to forget. If I fail to bring my notebook, the scribbles end up on random envelopes, crinkled receipts, or the back and or palm of my hand. The important thing, for me anyway, is that I stay with it. And I do it without sacrificing excess amounts of time. For me, it's better to keep the book in my head than skip the whole day all together.
Writing is important to me, but I wait all year for my kids to get out of school (school is such a time hog!), and I want to spend the summer with them once it's finally here.
What about you? Got a method that totally rocks? Have you found the perfect writer-parent balance? Well hurry and share it already; we want to hear!
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